****************************
CHAPTER SEVEN:
An hour later, everyone was standing around Ava's cot, staring down at her unconscious form. Max had already tried several times to heal her, but nothing happened.
"There's nothing physically wrong with her," said Max. "At least, not that I can tell."
"Then why the hell is she in a coma?" asked Alex.
"Its something with her mind," said Max. "It has to be. Its like her mind is just....I don't know, not there. I felt it when I tried to link with her to heal her."
"Okay, this is really creepy," said Maria. "How did this happen?"
"Wait, I just had a thought," said Liz. She turned and looked at Isabel. "Could it have been Lonnie? Could she have somehow dreamwalked Ava, and did this to her?"
"I don't see how," said Isabel. "When I dreamwalk someone, I can't put them into a coma. I can just poke around a bit in the subconscious."
"Yeah, but Lonnie may have learned some ability you haven't," said Michael.
"So what do we do now?" asked Kyle.
"I'm more convinced than ever now that Rath and Lonnie are going to come," said Max. "This is too much of a coincidence. We have to prepare for them to come, and at the same time, we have to look after Ava."
"I'll do that," said Alex. "I owe her that. Its not like I can go into town anyway."
"I'd stay with him," said Isabel. "But, there is something I have to take care of in town tomorrow. It can't wait."
"Look, I think we should try and move both Ava and Alex to my place," said Michael. "It would be safer. If Lonnie did somehow get into Ava's mind and do this to her, she and Rath may know how to find this place."
"They know where your apartment is, too," said Maria.
"Yeah, but we could look after her and be closer together in town," said Max. "It's a good idea. We'll move her now, while its still dark."
**
The next day, Isabel walked into the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Jesse for lunch. She was still tired, after only having slept for four hours or so after the events of the previous night. Even those few hours were a restless sleep, as Isabel thought about her conundrum over Jesse and Alex. She always loved being on a date with Jesse, but this one seemed, weird, somehow, now that Alex was back.
"Isabel," said Jesse, who got up from his chair at a table, and pulled out the chair across from him for Isabel. He leaned over and kissed her as she sat down. Joining her at the table, Jesse took her hand in his.
"So, how's your friend?" asked Jesse.
"Huh?" asked Isabel. "Oh, he's...fine. I'm really sorry about last night, but this person was a really good friend of mine in High School, I hadn't seen him in a long time, and he was really needing a friend last night."
"Its okay," said Jesse. "Maybe I can't meet him sometime, get to know all about Isabel Evans-the High School Years."
"Yeah," said Isabel, with a forced chuckle. "Maybe."
"Look, Isabel," said Jesse, "I have been very patient about telling your family about us. Now that Max is back in town, I think its time. Don't you?"
Isabel didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if she wanted to stay engaged to Jesse because of Alex. What should she tell him?
"Jesse, I really do appreciate your patience," said Isabel. "Its just....things have gotten a little...weird, right now. I can't really explain it, but now is not really a good time for me to..."
"Isabel, you've been saying 'its not a good time' since we started dating," said Jesse. "That's not going to cut it anymore. We are going to be MARRIED, in a matter of weeks. You can't put this off anymore. And I am starting to think you are...ashamed, of being engaged to me..."
"NO!" said Isabel. "Jesse, that's not true! I am not ashamed of my relationship with you!"
"Then why is this such a big deal?" asked Jesse.
"I just," said Isabel. "I mean, this has all happened so fast! I just graduated from High School a few months ago, I just turned nineteen, I just started college, and now I'm engaged to be married. Its just made my life so complicated, and I'm trying to balance all of those pieces, and others I can't even explain to you right now! I thought I was ready, but now I'm not sure."
"What, ready to tell your parents, or ready to get married?" asked Jesse.
Isabel was silent, not knowing how to reply to his question.
"That's it, isn't it?" asked Jesse. "You're not sure."
"Jesse, you did kind of make this a make it or break it condition of our relationship," said Isabel. "I'm starting to wonder if I am, if WE are, rushing things."
"I thought you were all for going ahead with this!" said Jesse.
"I was," said Isabel. "Or, maybe I wasn't. I just don't know, Jesse! I'm sorry, but that's the truth!"
"Isabel, let me ask you this," said Jesse. "Do you love me?"
"Yes," said Isabel. "I care for you, greatly."
"Then why should we wait?" asked Jesse.
"Because there are things going on here you don't know about," said Isabel. "Things I have to deal with on my own, before I step into marriage."
" 'Step into marriage'", said Jesse. "You make it sound like you are stepping into a pile of dog poop."
"You know that's not what I meant!" said Isabel. "Jesse, I am trying to be fair to you and to myself. I need to work through my doubts before I commit myself to you. You have been SO patient, and I hate to ask this, but I need you to be patient a little while longer."
"Isabel..." began Jesse, in a huff.
"Don't you think I'm worth waiting a little longer for?" asked Isabel.
Jesse was silent, before exhaling loudly. "Touché," he said. "Alright, I'll wait. But please don't take too long with this."
"Thank you, Jesse," said Isabel. "For being so understanding."
"Only because I love you," said Jesse.
**
Alex was pacing back and forth across the floor of Michael's apartment. Michael sat on his couch, trying to watch TV, but was distracted by Alex's pacing.
"Man, could you STOP THAT!" said Michael. "I mean, I know you're worried about Ava, but..."
"I owe her my life, Michael," said Alex. "I can't help but think this is partly my fault."
"That's bull, and you know it," said Michael.
He kept on pacing, mumbling, "got, what is she and this guy doing."
"What was that?" asked Michael.
"Nothing, just...another thing, on my mind," said Alex. "Look, have you heard from Isabel?"
"No," said Michael. "But she said there was something she needed to take care of, so I assume that's what she's doing. I'm not her secretary."
Liz came out of the bedroom where Ava's unconscious form was now ensconced. "Still no change," she said.
"I wish there was something we could do for her," said Alex.
"Do you think Isabel could dreamwalk her, try and get in there and fix whatever is wrong?" asked Liz.
"I don't know," said Michael.
"It might be dangerous," said Alex. "I don't want to see her put at risk."
"We could still discuss it with her," said Liz.
"I'll call her," said Michael.
"Good," said Alex, for reasons of his own.
"I thought you weren't thrilled about this idea?" asked Liz.
"I'm not," said Alex. "But...never mind."
"Her cell phone is off," said Michael, hanging up his phone. "I'll go out and try and find her. You two stay here."
***
Isabel walked down the main street of Roswell, heading towards her car to drive to the Crashdown in order to meet up with Max, Kyle, and Maria. Now that Jesse was temporarily placated, she could have breathing space to both deal with the impending threat posed by Rath and Lonnie, and her conflicted emotions over Jesse and Alex.
"Hey, Isabel," said a familiar voice behind her.
She turned and saw Michael come up to her. "Michael," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you," said Michael. "Something's come up. I need you to come with me. We're going to meet Max and the others."
"Why didn't you just call me?" asked Isabel. "Oh, wait, I turned my cell phone off. Sorry, I forgot."
"Come on," said Michael. "No time to waist."
They got to Isabel's car, and Rath stepped in front of the driver's side door. "Hey, better let me drive," said Michael.
"Why, so you can have a chance to drive my new car?" asked Isabel.
"Call me an opportunist," said Michael. "Actually, Max gave me directions to the meeting place. It's a new one Kyle came up with, just in case Lonnie did probe Ava's mind, and get information from her."
"Alright," said Isabel, tossing him the keys. "But you scratch the paint on my car, I'll scratch your eyes out."
Michael got behind the wheel, while Isabel climbed into the passenger's side. He drove her out of town, and down a dirt road that branched off of the main highway.
"This is the way to the mining cabin," said Isabel. "This isn't new."
"There's another place, not far from it," said Michael. "Even more secluded, if you can believe that."
He stopped the car at a spot on the road near a rocky outcropping. "Come on, we have to go on foot from here," said Michael. "There's a cave up there."
"Oh, wonderful," said Isabel, sarcastically. "Dark, dank caves. My favorite."
The two of them walked towards the rocky outcropping. When they got there, Michael led Isabel as they skirted around the outcropping to the other side. Then, they climbed up the face of the rocks to a cave opening.
"Its an old mine shaft," said Isabel.
"Right on, girl," said Michael.
"Right on girl?" asked Isabel. "Since when do you call me 'girl'?"
"Since now, baby," said Michael.
But when he turned to look at her, his facial features had changed. Isabel was no longer looking at Michael Guerin, but a similar face that she knew was not Michael's.
"April fools," said Rath, with a smirk.
"You!" said Isabel. "How did you...."
"Baby, we've been watching you all day," said Rath. "I saw you have that little lover's spat with that Mexican suit, then waited for you to come out."
"What do you want?" asked Isabel.
"Why, you, Valandra," said a voice from the cave.
Isabel turned and saw another familiar figure come out of the cave. Her eyes widened when she saw the person's face become clearly shown in the sunlight.
"Hello, beautiful," said Nicholas. "You've fallen quite nicely into our little trap."
End of Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight coming soon.
So, a little revelation at the end there as to who is helping Rath and Lonnie. Look's like Isabel is in trouble. What's going to happen next? Look for the next installment to find out. In the meantime, please do provide feedback by posting a review. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
An hour later, everyone was standing around Ava's cot, staring down at her unconscious form. Max had already tried several times to heal her, but nothing happened.
"There's nothing physically wrong with her," said Max. "At least, not that I can tell."
"Then why the hell is she in a coma?" asked Alex.
"Its something with her mind," said Max. "It has to be. Its like her mind is just....I don't know, not there. I felt it when I tried to link with her to heal her."
"Okay, this is really creepy," said Maria. "How did this happen?"
"Wait, I just had a thought," said Liz. She turned and looked at Isabel. "Could it have been Lonnie? Could she have somehow dreamwalked Ava, and did this to her?"
"I don't see how," said Isabel. "When I dreamwalk someone, I can't put them into a coma. I can just poke around a bit in the subconscious."
"Yeah, but Lonnie may have learned some ability you haven't," said Michael.
"So what do we do now?" asked Kyle.
"I'm more convinced than ever now that Rath and Lonnie are going to come," said Max. "This is too much of a coincidence. We have to prepare for them to come, and at the same time, we have to look after Ava."
"I'll do that," said Alex. "I owe her that. Its not like I can go into town anyway."
"I'd stay with him," said Isabel. "But, there is something I have to take care of in town tomorrow. It can't wait."
"Look, I think we should try and move both Ava and Alex to my place," said Michael. "It would be safer. If Lonnie did somehow get into Ava's mind and do this to her, she and Rath may know how to find this place."
"They know where your apartment is, too," said Maria.
"Yeah, but we could look after her and be closer together in town," said Max. "It's a good idea. We'll move her now, while its still dark."
**
The next day, Isabel walked into the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Jesse for lunch. She was still tired, after only having slept for four hours or so after the events of the previous night. Even those few hours were a restless sleep, as Isabel thought about her conundrum over Jesse and Alex. She always loved being on a date with Jesse, but this one seemed, weird, somehow, now that Alex was back.
"Isabel," said Jesse, who got up from his chair at a table, and pulled out the chair across from him for Isabel. He leaned over and kissed her as she sat down. Joining her at the table, Jesse took her hand in his.
"So, how's your friend?" asked Jesse.
"Huh?" asked Isabel. "Oh, he's...fine. I'm really sorry about last night, but this person was a really good friend of mine in High School, I hadn't seen him in a long time, and he was really needing a friend last night."
"Its okay," said Jesse. "Maybe I can't meet him sometime, get to know all about Isabel Evans-the High School Years."
"Yeah," said Isabel, with a forced chuckle. "Maybe."
"Look, Isabel," said Jesse, "I have been very patient about telling your family about us. Now that Max is back in town, I think its time. Don't you?"
Isabel didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if she wanted to stay engaged to Jesse because of Alex. What should she tell him?
"Jesse, I really do appreciate your patience," said Isabel. "Its just....things have gotten a little...weird, right now. I can't really explain it, but now is not really a good time for me to..."
"Isabel, you've been saying 'its not a good time' since we started dating," said Jesse. "That's not going to cut it anymore. We are going to be MARRIED, in a matter of weeks. You can't put this off anymore. And I am starting to think you are...ashamed, of being engaged to me..."
"NO!" said Isabel. "Jesse, that's not true! I am not ashamed of my relationship with you!"
"Then why is this such a big deal?" asked Jesse.
"I just," said Isabel. "I mean, this has all happened so fast! I just graduated from High School a few months ago, I just turned nineteen, I just started college, and now I'm engaged to be married. Its just made my life so complicated, and I'm trying to balance all of those pieces, and others I can't even explain to you right now! I thought I was ready, but now I'm not sure."
"What, ready to tell your parents, or ready to get married?" asked Jesse.
Isabel was silent, not knowing how to reply to his question.
"That's it, isn't it?" asked Jesse. "You're not sure."
"Jesse, you did kind of make this a make it or break it condition of our relationship," said Isabel. "I'm starting to wonder if I am, if WE are, rushing things."
"I thought you were all for going ahead with this!" said Jesse.
"I was," said Isabel. "Or, maybe I wasn't. I just don't know, Jesse! I'm sorry, but that's the truth!"
"Isabel, let me ask you this," said Jesse. "Do you love me?"
"Yes," said Isabel. "I care for you, greatly."
"Then why should we wait?" asked Jesse.
"Because there are things going on here you don't know about," said Isabel. "Things I have to deal with on my own, before I step into marriage."
" 'Step into marriage'", said Jesse. "You make it sound like you are stepping into a pile of dog poop."
"You know that's not what I meant!" said Isabel. "Jesse, I am trying to be fair to you and to myself. I need to work through my doubts before I commit myself to you. You have been SO patient, and I hate to ask this, but I need you to be patient a little while longer."
"Isabel..." began Jesse, in a huff.
"Don't you think I'm worth waiting a little longer for?" asked Isabel.
Jesse was silent, before exhaling loudly. "Touché," he said. "Alright, I'll wait. But please don't take too long with this."
"Thank you, Jesse," said Isabel. "For being so understanding."
"Only because I love you," said Jesse.
**
Alex was pacing back and forth across the floor of Michael's apartment. Michael sat on his couch, trying to watch TV, but was distracted by Alex's pacing.
"Man, could you STOP THAT!" said Michael. "I mean, I know you're worried about Ava, but..."
"I owe her my life, Michael," said Alex. "I can't help but think this is partly my fault."
"That's bull, and you know it," said Michael.
He kept on pacing, mumbling, "got, what is she and this guy doing."
"What was that?" asked Michael.
"Nothing, just...another thing, on my mind," said Alex. "Look, have you heard from Isabel?"
"No," said Michael. "But she said there was something she needed to take care of, so I assume that's what she's doing. I'm not her secretary."
Liz came out of the bedroom where Ava's unconscious form was now ensconced. "Still no change," she said.
"I wish there was something we could do for her," said Alex.
"Do you think Isabel could dreamwalk her, try and get in there and fix whatever is wrong?" asked Liz.
"I don't know," said Michael.
"It might be dangerous," said Alex. "I don't want to see her put at risk."
"We could still discuss it with her," said Liz.
"I'll call her," said Michael.
"Good," said Alex, for reasons of his own.
"I thought you weren't thrilled about this idea?" asked Liz.
"I'm not," said Alex. "But...never mind."
"Her cell phone is off," said Michael, hanging up his phone. "I'll go out and try and find her. You two stay here."
***
Isabel walked down the main street of Roswell, heading towards her car to drive to the Crashdown in order to meet up with Max, Kyle, and Maria. Now that Jesse was temporarily placated, she could have breathing space to both deal with the impending threat posed by Rath and Lonnie, and her conflicted emotions over Jesse and Alex.
"Hey, Isabel," said a familiar voice behind her.
She turned and saw Michael come up to her. "Michael," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you," said Michael. "Something's come up. I need you to come with me. We're going to meet Max and the others."
"Why didn't you just call me?" asked Isabel. "Oh, wait, I turned my cell phone off. Sorry, I forgot."
"Come on," said Michael. "No time to waist."
They got to Isabel's car, and Rath stepped in front of the driver's side door. "Hey, better let me drive," said Michael.
"Why, so you can have a chance to drive my new car?" asked Isabel.
"Call me an opportunist," said Michael. "Actually, Max gave me directions to the meeting place. It's a new one Kyle came up with, just in case Lonnie did probe Ava's mind, and get information from her."
"Alright," said Isabel, tossing him the keys. "But you scratch the paint on my car, I'll scratch your eyes out."
Michael got behind the wheel, while Isabel climbed into the passenger's side. He drove her out of town, and down a dirt road that branched off of the main highway.
"This is the way to the mining cabin," said Isabel. "This isn't new."
"There's another place, not far from it," said Michael. "Even more secluded, if you can believe that."
He stopped the car at a spot on the road near a rocky outcropping. "Come on, we have to go on foot from here," said Michael. "There's a cave up there."
"Oh, wonderful," said Isabel, sarcastically. "Dark, dank caves. My favorite."
The two of them walked towards the rocky outcropping. When they got there, Michael led Isabel as they skirted around the outcropping to the other side. Then, they climbed up the face of the rocks to a cave opening.
"Its an old mine shaft," said Isabel.
"Right on, girl," said Michael.
"Right on girl?" asked Isabel. "Since when do you call me 'girl'?"
"Since now, baby," said Michael.
But when he turned to look at her, his facial features had changed. Isabel was no longer looking at Michael Guerin, but a similar face that she knew was not Michael's.
"April fools," said Rath, with a smirk.
"You!" said Isabel. "How did you...."
"Baby, we've been watching you all day," said Rath. "I saw you have that little lover's spat with that Mexican suit, then waited for you to come out."
"What do you want?" asked Isabel.
"Why, you, Valandra," said a voice from the cave.
Isabel turned and saw another familiar figure come out of the cave. Her eyes widened when she saw the person's face become clearly shown in the sunlight.
"Hello, beautiful," said Nicholas. "You've fallen quite nicely into our little trap."
End of Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight coming soon.
So, a little revelation at the end there as to who is helping Rath and Lonnie. Look's like Isabel is in trouble. What's going to happen next? Look for the next installment to find out. In the meantime, please do provide feedback by posting a review. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
